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Officials in the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, are expected to vote to remove a 100-foot-high statue of former vice president & slavery advocate John C. Calhoun.
I'll be in Charleston tonight, after the City Council votes. https://apnews.com/3e3d4a9cf077ae2cb45f2fa1dc517d5d
I'll be in Charleston tonight, after the City Council votes. https://apnews.com/3e3d4a9cf077ae2cb45f2fa1dc517d5d
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — City Council votes to remove statue of former U.S. vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun from Charleston, South Carolina, square.
After hearing from dozens of members of the public speaking for and against removing the statue, the City Council - including Mayor @JohnTecklenburg - voted 13-0 in favor.
"We are making the right step," Tecklenburg said. "It's just simply the right thing for us to do."
"We are making the right step," Tecklenburg said. "It's just simply the right thing for us to do."
Councilman Karl L. Brady Jr. said he knew his support may cost votes but that he felt removing Calhoun shows that, in Charleston, “we place white supremacy & white supremacist thought back where it belongs - on the ash heap of history.”
My updated story. https://apnews.com/3e3d4a9cf077ae2cb45f2fa1dc517d5d
My updated story. https://apnews.com/3e3d4a9cf077ae2cb45f2fa1dc517d5d
Charleston Police confirm via tweet that removal of the Calhoun statue will take place tonight in Charleston. https://twitter.com/charlestonpd/status/1275633347730046983?s=21 https://twitter.com/charlestonpd/status/1275633347730046983
Police are posted at each corner of Charleston’s Marion Square, over which the 100-foot Calhoun monument has towered since 1898. I’m told the statue at its top will come down tonight; the fate of the obelisk on which it sits remains to be determined.
Crews are moving a chain link barricade from one side of the street to the other to accommodate equipment and personnel for removal of Calhoun. There are some onlookers, but most of the people I can see are law enforcement or media.
As equipment continues to be brought in, a crowd is gathering. This woman has been in Marion Square for several hours, protesting against the statue removal and opining on other issues.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Crews begin process of removing statue of slavery advocate John C. Calhoun from Charleston, South Carolina, square.
More than an hour and a half after their work began, crews are still making preparations to take down the Calhoun statue from its perch in downtown Charleston. Here’s my story, which I’ll be continuing to update through the night. https://apnews.com/a88ad98372bbb810d1261d61acb5350f
It’s happening: After three hours of prep, removal crews converge atop Charleston, South Carolina’s massive John C. Calhoun monument.
At around 4 a.m., four hours into the Calhoun removal process, the chainsaws came out. What’s left of the crowd here seemed very excited about that.
It’s sunrise in Charleston, where work continues on removing this statue of John C. Calhoun, a former vice president & South Carolina native who strongly advocated for slavery. We’ve been out here all night, since crews began moving equipment into the square at around midnight.
Now in its 9th hour, Calhoun statue removal is ongoing here in Charleston. Some sort of device has been affixed to the cylinder on which the statue stands, and 4 crew members are back on massive booms, high in the air.
As we continue to wait, if you want to see some amazing photojournalism that documents this event, follow @WhitakerPhotos of the @postandcourier.
Here's a sample of his work, taken shortly after the council voted last night to remove the Calhoun statue.
A stunning visual.
Here's a sample of his work, taken shortly after the council voted last night to remove the Calhoun statue.
A stunning visual.
UPDATE: Crews continue to attempt removal of Calhoun, a process now in its 11th hour. Officials tell me they're waiting on a diamond saw that'll be used to cut into a bronze post that runs from the base of the monument to the statue.
This explains why the 100ft. monument has withstood many Charleston hurricanes during its 122 years of towering over Marion Square.
The former Secretary of War under President James Monroe doesn't seem to want to come down without a fight.
The former Secretary of War under President James Monroe doesn't seem to want to come down without a fight.
